ABOVE: Butcher Wade Johnson is the champion gourmet sausage maker.
Susanna Freymark
They came. They tasted. They picked a winner.
Three judges – Richmond Valley mayor Robert Mustow, Beef Week Queen Kara Porter and Scott Johnson from Findex – tasted nine sausages from four different butchers today, Friday, May 26.
There were two categories – beef sausage and gourmet sausage.
Mr Mustow said he was a “plain Jane” when it came to sausages.
The gourmet sausages included flavours of chilli, honey and mustard, basil, pumpkin and feta and smoky.
Beef Week committee member Cherie Holdsworth said the sausage competition had been running since 2014.
It is held in Walker St during Breakfast with the Butchers.
“It’s not about the prize money, it’s about reputation,” Ms Holdsworth said.
The winning butcher gets a trophy to display in their shop and $300 prize money.
The winners were announced.
Wade Goldthorpe who has owned Metcalf Quality Meats in Evans Head for six months won with his honey mustard sausage.
It’s already the most popular sausage sold in the shop, he said.
It was the first time Mr Goldthorpe had entered the comp.
He reckoned he would “buy a few beers for the boys tonight” with the prize money.
The sausage comp placegetters were:
GOURMET
1 Metcalf Quality Meats for a honey mustard beef sausage
2 Metcalf Quality Meats for a smoky joe sausage
3 Our Cow for a honey, herb and garlic beef sausage
BEEF
1 Southside Gourmet Meats for a beef snag
2 Smiths Butchery for a barbecue beef sausage
3 Our Cow for a beef sausage
and then